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Igor

So Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance?

You never know when things are going to fall apart but it’s sometimes surprising to learn that they come back together just as quickly.

Last year, I was in an unfortunate car accident. It was a cold fall day and my car skidded out on some leaves. My boss always told me that wet leaves were just as bad as ice but I just kind of laughed at him. Turns out, he was right.

I was mildly hurt. Got out of it with a broken arm, minor shoulder injury, and a bump on the head. While none of my injuries were life threatening, I had to take some time off of work. I ate through what little sick time I had then relied on my savings.

I didn’t get much from the insurance company because my car wasn’t worth a whole lot; also because I used cheap car insurance no deposit. I certainly didn’t get enough to buy a new car but I decided to use it to put a down payment on a new one. My credit was good and I got approved for the car loan, but because things were going to be tight until I got back to work, I had to be careful. My car payment fit within my budget but I didn’t have a whole lot left over for insurance.

I asked everyone that I knew about their policy. Of all of my friends and family, I wanted to find out who has the cheapest auto insurance, were they happy with it, and how much they paid (assuming they would want to tell me.) It didn’t take me long for me to dig up some leads. I spend a lot of time of the internet looking for the right company and it didn’t take me long to find it.

When I was finally ready to go back to work, I’d managed to get by on the little bit of savings I had. Thanks to a tight budget and a great deal on my car insurance, I was able to survive that time without running up any debt.

Now, I drive just as cautiously on wet autumn days as I do icy winter ones. My boss wasn’t kidding, wet leaves can be pretty dangerous. I feel like I was really lucky. I mean, it was no fun having a broken arm and totaling my car, but it really could’ve been a lot worse. I was lucky. Also next time I’ll get some better car insurance; don’t recommend no deposit car insurance…

I Heart the Internet

Saying you love the internet isn’t really a groundbreaking confession these days, but I still don’t think people know how to use it to its full potential.

I read this thing a few weeks ago that car dealerships can’t really get anything over on customers these days because it’s so easy for us to be prepared. Like, we know that car that you’re selling is going for a few hundred less at a nearby dealership so why should we buy it from you?

When it came time to consider a new car, I wasn’t sure what to do. I knew I’d be okay selling my car on a car listing website but I felt like I needed to be more actively involved in the car buying process. And that surprised me a little bit because I basically don’t like doing anything in person. Everything I have to do, I do online or with an app on my phone. Make appointments. Pay bills. Grocery shop.

Here’s what I did. I looked into buying a car from an online listing website and actually found a few that I loved. Then, I figured it was best to go visit the places that were selling them and get a better look at the cars. Basically, how I approached it was to find the cars online then scope out the sellers. I ended up finding a good car dealership that I didn’t even realize was within walking distance of my apartment!

It was perfect, really. I ended up selling my car online, a very nice Toyota Corolla I might add, and got a really good price for it. Then I used that money on a down payment for my new car. I feel like I got more than I would have if I’d gone straight to the dealer to sell my car. Plus, I really felt like the place I went to wasn’t taking advantage of me because I was armed with so much information. Thanks to the car listing website ( This site), I knew so much about the cars I was interested in, all I had to do was ask the right questions and I knew I was getting honest answers.

Anyway, buying new cars and selling old ones is so much easier than it used to be. All you have to do is spend some time online and you can make sure you’re not being taken advantage of. It worked for me!

One of the main things I’m trying to do at the moment is save some money. We currently don’t have a great emergency fund, and that’s something I really want to change. One big thing that came up this past month was the car insurance renewal, and I decided it was time to shop around to see if I could find something cheaper. The only problem was that changing looked like it was going to mean paying a deposit upfront, and we really don’t have that kind of money lying around now. Luckily, my wife – always the brains of the operation! – suggested seeing if we could find some very cheap car insurance with no deposit. It means paying slightly more per month, but avoiding that initial fee meant we could put a nice couple of hundred in the savings account for future use. I’m thinking of having a look at our energy bills next.

Other than that, it’s mostly been a case of cutting unnecessary expenses where we can – I’ve started taking a packed lunch into work with me, and my wife has just bought a cafetière in an attempt to stop buying Starbucks! We’ve also changed our daughter’s car insurance plan – it was a bit trickier to find something with no deposit, but after some juggling around, we think we’ve got something that works out. We also took the opportunity to involve her in the shopping process (again, on my wife’s suggestion). It’s easy to forget that these things aren’t taught in schools, so I went through all the pros and cons of the different plans with her, and how to work out the best option. I want to avoid making too big a deal out of our attempts to save money so we don’t worry her, but I figure showing her how to get the best deal is useful.

So that’s been our big saving of the month – we’re starting to keep an expenses sheet (color coded!) to work out what we might be able to lower or get rid of next month. I’ve already got a couple of ideas of what to be on the lookout for, but it’ll be interesting to keep an eye on the things we don’t expect.

–Below is a blog post by a traveling American. Don’t worry it isn’t as scary as he describers 🙂 —

I’ve mentioned before. Many times. To anyone who will listen. That the drivers in Dubrovnik are literally the worst drivers in existence. And I don’t know how companies can afford to offer full coverage car insurance!

When I lived in Croatia, I didn’t drive. Because I value my life. So I had to take taxis everywhere. Turns out, taxis are not safer. In fact, I probably would have been safer had I bought a car, closed my eyes and just hoped for the best.

Let me start with getting into the taxi. Usually, when you get into a cab you tell the driver where you want to go. Because I couldn’t use the tones properly, this was out of the question for me. So I carried a list of addresses written in Croatian on my phone to show the drivers.

The idea was that they would look at the screen, know where to go, and drive there. And it works. As long you find the one taxi driver in Croatia who possesses the gift of sight. The first alarming thing that will happen, is that the driver will take your phone. Squint at the screen. Give up and take a pair of glasses out of the glove compartment. Read the address. Nod. And then take the glasses off and begin to drive!

The second alarming thing that can happen, is that you’ll notice a screen by the rear-view mirror. You will assume it shows the view of the road behind the driver. It won’t. It will be showing the road right in front of you, only slightly zoomed in, so that the driver can see what’s happening. Excellent.

And it only gets more fun when all of these blind drivers get together and unnervingly swerve in front of each other at high speed. Honestly, if you’re ever in Croatia and fancy the adrenaline rush and fear that comes with extreme sports, but without the price tag and annoying safety features, just take a cab!

Hello, my name is Igor. I live in the beautiful city of Dubrovnik. You may know if thanks to game of thrones! Well there’s more to this city than what game of thrones portrays and I’m here to show you.

This website is a travel guide on what to see and do in Dubrovnik. I hope you’ll love this city as much as I do.